Paul Casey "Gus" Bradley (born July 5, 1966) is an

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

coach who is the current assistant head coach for the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He previously served as the

defensive coordinator A defensive coordinator (DC) is a coach responsible for a gridiron football team's defense. Generally, the defensive coordinator, offensive coordinator and special teams coordinator represent the second level of a team's coaching structure, wit ...

for the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...

. He came to prominence as the defensive coordinator for the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

from 2009 to 2012, where he was the original playcaller of the team's Legion of Boom secondary. Bradley later served as the head coach of the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

from 2013 to 2016.

Early life

Bradley was the youngest child of six and grew up in

Zumbrota, Minnesota Zumbrota is a city in Goodhue County, Minnesota, United States, along the North Fork of the Zumbro River. The population was 3,252 at the 2010 census. It promotes itself as "the only Zumbrota in the world." History Zumbrota was claimed as a to ...

, where he played football, basketball and baseball at Zumbrota High School.

College career

Bradley played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

North Dakota State University North Dakota State University (NDSU, formally North Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Sciences) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Fargo, North Dakota, United States. It was ...

from 1984 to 1988, where he was a

free safety Safety (S), historically known as a safetyman, is a position in gridiron football on the American football positions#Defense, defense. The safeties are defensive backs who line up ten to fifteen yards from the line of scrimmage. There are two var ...

and punter. Bradley helped the Bison win the NCAA Division II Football Championship in 1984, 1987, and 1988, or three of the four years he played. He also was a four-time academic all-

North Central Conference The North Central Conference (NCC), also known as North Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, was a college athletic conference which operated in the north central United States. It participated in the NCAA's Division II. History The NCC ...

selection. Bradley earned

bachelor's degrees A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Neo-Latin, Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and university, universities upon completion of a course of study lasting ...

in business administration (1989) and physical education (1990) from North Dakota State as well as a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

in athletic administration from NDSU in 1992.

Coaching career

Early coaching career

Bradley joined the

North Dakota State Bison The North Dakota State Bison are the athletic teams of North Dakota State University (NDSU), which is located in the city of Fargo, North Dakota. The teams are often called the "Thundering Herd". The current logo is a bison. Sports sponsored ...

as a graduate asst. coach in 1990 and was there until 1991. He was the defensive coordinator/linebackers coach at

Fort Lewis College Fort Lewis College (FLC) is a public liberal arts college in Durango, Colorado, and the only four-year and graduate studies institution in the Four Corners region. FLC's historical evolution spans its origins as a U.S. military fort, an Indian ...

from 1992 to 1995 and spent four months as the team's head coach from December 1995 to March 1996. From 1996 to 2005 Bradley returned to North Dakota State and coached in many positions including defensive coordinator, linebackers coach, and assistant head coach to Bob Babich and

Craig Bohl Craig Philip Bohl (born July 27, 1958) is an American retired college football coach and former player. Prior to announcing his retirement from coaching at the conclusion of the 2023 football season, he was the head football coach at the Universi ...

. Under Bradley's guidance, North Dakota State's defense led the

Great West Football Conference The Great West Conference (GWC) was an NCAA college athletic conference in the continental United States. Originally a football-only league, it became an all-sports entity during the 2008–09 season. The GWC stopped sponsoring football following ...

in scoring defense (13.7 ppg), pass defense (150.3 ypg), total defense (272.4 ypg) and turnover margin (+1.00) in 2005.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

In 2006, Bradley joined the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

as their defensive quality control coach, working closely with defensive coordinator

Monte Kiffin Monte George Kiffin (February 29, 1940 – July 11, 2024) was an American football coach. He is widely considered to have been one of the preeminent defensive coordinators in modern football, as well as one of the greatest defensive coordinators ...

in the organization and implementation of the defensive game plan. In 2007 Bradley was promoted to linebackers coach after previous linebackers coach

Joe Barry Joe Barry (born July 5, 1970) is an American football coach who is the linebackers coach and run game coordinator for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). His career includes having served as the assistant head coach and li ...

left to become defensive coordinator for the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

. Under Bradley's guidance, linebacker

Barrett Ruud Barrett James Ruud (born May 20, 1983) is an American football coach who serves as inside linebackers coach for the Atlanta Falcons in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second round of the 2005 ...

went on to earn NFC Defensive Player of the Month in September after leading the Buccaneers defense with 51 tackles and adding one

interception In Ball game, ball-playing Competitive sport, competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for ...

, three forced

fumbles A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful ...

, two fumble recoveries and two passes defensed.

Seattle Seahawks

On January 12, 2009, the

hired Bradley to become the team's defensive coordinator. He was recommended for the job by former Buccaneers defensive coordinator

. In 2009, under Bradley's guidance the Seahawks' defense allowed opponents to gain 356.4 yards (24th in the league) and to score 24.4 points per game (25th). The Seahawks finished the season with a 5–11 record (3rd in the

NFC West The National Football Conference – Western Division or NFC West is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It currently has four members: the Arizona Card ...

, 25th in the NFL), and subsequently replaced head coach Jim L. Mora with

Pete Carroll Peter Clay Carroll (born September 15, 1951) is an American professional American football, football coach who is the head coach for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as head coach for the NCAA's ...

. Carroll decided to keep Bradley for the 2010 season; the two coaches have a common connection with Kiffin. In 2010, the Seahawks' defense allowed opponents to gain 368.6 yards (27th in the league) and to score 25.4 points per game (25th). In 2011, the Seahawks' defense allowed opponents to gain 332.2 yards (9th in the league) and to score 19.7 points per game (7th). In 2012, the Seahawks' defense allowed opponents to gain 306.2 yards per game (4th in the league) and to score 15.3 points per game (1st).

Jacksonville Jaguars

On January 17, 2013, Bradley was hired as the new head coach of the

. His first regular season win came on November 10, 2013 with a 29–27 victory over the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

. The Jaguars ended the season 4–12, and Bradley was eventually named the head coach of the South team in the

2014 Senior Bowl The 2014 Senior Bowl was an all-star college football exhibition game featured players from the 2013 college football season, and prospects for the 2014 draft of the professional National Football League (NFL). The game concluded the post-seaso ...

. On December 18, 2016, the Jaguars relieved Bradley of his duties as head coach, compiling a 14–48 record in 4 seasons.

Los Angeles Chargers

On January 20, 2017, the

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC W ...

hired Bradley as defensive coordinator under head coach

Anthony Lynn Anthony Ray Lynn (born December 21, 1968) is an American professional football coach and former running back who is the run game coordinator and running backs coach for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played ...

. After a 2017 season that saw the defense allow 17 points per game, the third-fewest in the NFL, Bradley received a three-year contract extension in January 2018.

Las Vegas Raiders

On January 12, 2021, Bradley was hired by the

Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West ...

to be their defensive coordinator under head coach

Jon Gruden Jon David Gruden (born August 17, 1963) is an American football coach and media personality currently employed by Barstool Sports. After beginning his coaching career in the college ranks and working as a position coach and as an offensive co ...

, replacing Paul Guenther, who was fired during the 2020 season.

Indianapolis Colts

On February 4, 2022, Bradley was hired by the

as their defensive coordinator under head coach

Frank Reich Frank Michael Reich (; ; born December 4, 1961) is an American football coach and former player who is the interim head coach at Stanford University. He played 14 seasons as a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He became a coac ...

. On March 7, 2023, the Colts announced that they would be retaining Bradley as defensive coordinator under newly hired head coach

Shane Steichen Shane Steichen ( ; born May 11, 1985) is an American professional American football, football coach who is the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as an assistant coach for the San Die ...

. Notably, Steichen and Bradley worked together during their time with the

. On January 11, 2024, Colts general manager

Chris Ballard Chris Ballard may refer to: * Chris Ballard (American football) (born 1969), American football general manager for the Indianapolis Colts * Chris Ballard (journalist) (born 1973), American sports writer for ''Sports Illustrated'' * Chris Ballard (p ...

announced that Bradley would return for the

2024 NFL season The 2024 NFL season was the 105th season of the National Football League (NFL). The season began on September 5, 2024, with reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City defeating Baltimore in the NFL Kickoff Game. The regular season concluded on ...

, after the Colts defense ranked 5th in sacks (51), 16th in takeaways (24) and 28th in points (24.4) during the

2023 NFL season The 2023 NFL season was the 104th season of the National Football League (NFL). The regular season began on September 7, 2023, with defending Super Bowl LVII champion Kansas City losing to Detroit in the NFL Kickoff Game, and ended on January ...

. On January 6, 2025, the Colts announced they had parted ways with Bradley.

San Francisco 49ers

On February 25, 2025, the

hired Bradley as their assistant head coach.

Head coaching record

Personal life

His son,

Carter Bradley Carter Roy Bradley (born March 9, 2000) is an American professional football quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Toledo Rockets and South Alabama Jaguars. Early life ...

, was the starting quarterback for the

South Alabama Jaguars The South Alabama Jaguars represent the University of South Alabama in NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletics. USA competes in the Sun Belt Conference; it is the conference's only remaining charter member from its inception. USA's athletics te ...

in 2022 & 2023. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the

on April 27, 2024.

References

External links

Coaching statistics
at

Pro Football Reference Pro Football Reference (PFR) is an online statistics database for professional American football maintained by Sports Reference. The site provides career statistics for players, teams, and games, as well as records and NFL draft history. PFR was ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bradley, Gus 1966 births Living people American football punters American football safeties Fort Lewis Skyhawks football coaches Jacksonville Jaguars head coaches North Dakota State Bison football players North Dakota State Bison football coaches Tampa Bay Buccaneers coaches Las Vegas Raiders coaches Los Angeles Chargers coaches Seattle Seahawks coaches NFL defensive coordinators People from Zumbrota, Minnesota Indianapolis Colts coaches Coaches of American football from Minnesota San Francisco 49ers coaches